The Silverbloggers Chronicles #9. Back to childhood

Last Wednesday, August 27, my younger brother made me a lovely video for my birthday. I don't know where he got so many photos of my childhood; maybe my mother has them stored in an old suitcase she hadn't shown me. Maybe they found them by chance in the days leading up to the video while looking for photos to use.

When I saw those photos, I realized that many of those moments have faded from my memory. The images barely brought back a few fragments of a story that is becoming increasingly blurred. I was very surprised that my mother remembered so many things, and while we were talking on WhatsApp, she told me what situation each photo corresponded to.

In reality, I have very few memories of my childhood, but I have more of my adolescence. It may be that my childhood was very boring; I was a sickly child who suffered from terrible asthma attacks. As a result of my illness, my mother was overprotective and practically didn't let me do anything. Her fear that I would fall ill was so great that she preferred to keep me in a kind of glass box.

I don't remember any friends from those childhood years; perhaps I didn't have any. It was difficult to have friends when the only space you shared was the living room at home. I do remember that when I visited my grandmother, I played with my two cousins, who are almost my age.

I have mentioned on other occasions that my family was very superstitious, so I grew up in an environment surrounded by fears. I was afraid of everything: the dark, the unknown, supernatural beings...

If I could go back to those days, I would tell that child I once was that not everything adults say is true, that they have a way of speaking that does not always correspond to reality. I would also tell him that many of the things they say are simply lies.

When you are a child, you are completely dominated by the words of adults. You assume everything they say is true. And it cannot be otherwise because, precisely because you are just beginning life, you have no way of verifying what others say. Moreover, the people who talk to us are not just anyone, they are the most important people we have, the ones who care for and protect us, and there is no way we can suspect that they might do anything to harm us.

Unfortunately, however, many adults do not reflect on the impact their words can have on a child's mind. If they did, they would surely stop saying certain things. By saying inappropriate things, adults behave like children. And perhaps that is the key to so many mistakes made in parenting.

Another thing I would say to that childlike self is that illness is part of life, that it gets in the way of doing some things but does not prevent us from doing many others. I would tell them to focus more on what they can do and that, by doing so, they would surely realize that they have many alternatives at their disposal to move forward.

I would also insist to that child self that he should have confidence, that life is actually very generous and has many surprises in store for us at every turn.

As I write these lines, I think that somehow that child discovered on his own all these things that I would tell him now that I am an older adult. It must have been that way, because how else can I explain that he was able to overcome all those obstacles to become the man I am now, who was able to study, pursue a career he liked, have a home, a family...

Now it occurs to me that perhaps it's not all science fiction, that there really is a possibility that different times intersect and that from our experiences as adults we can alert and guide that child self who is just beginning life...

I am writing this post because I was inspired by an initiative proposed by my friends in the @silverbloggers community. To join, click on the following link.

Thank you for your time.

Translated with DeepL.com (free version).

All your comments are welcome on this site. I will read them with pleasure and dedication.

Until the next delivery. Thank you.

The photos, the digital edition and the Gifs are of my authorship.

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